Take the next step in your faith and get baptized on Easter Sunday!
Easter is just a week and a half away on April 9!
We have four worship services on Easter. Sunrise Service will happen in the Fireside Room at 7a, followed by donuts and fruit. YUM! Then we have three identical 50-minute Easter services at 8a, 9:30a, and 11a.
Easter is the realization and celebration that Jesus resurrected from the dead. Easter Sunday is also Baptism Sunday! Why? When a person is baptized, they are illustrating the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus every – single - time.
When a person is standing in a baptistery, jacuzzi, swimming pool, or beautiful oceanfront, they illustrate Jesus on the cross. They are choosing to die to themselves and live for God. It’s the life and death of Jesus. When they go under the water, they are burying their sins in a watery tomb. Paul said it this way.
Romans 6:4 (NIV2011) 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Jesus stayed in a tomb for three days. A person goes under the water for maybe three seconds. It’s their burial. Then they come up out of the water to live a new life. They resurrect. Jesus came back to life three days after he died. What an awesome comparison! Easter is the perfect time to encourage anyone who has yet to be baptized to take that next step.
That’s what I am doing right now. If you have not yet put your faith in Jesus, why not now? Why not this Sunday? Why not on Easter Sunday?
People ask me, “Will baptism alone save me?” My answer is simple. No! What saves us is God’s grace given to us through faith in Jesus. Paul explains:
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV2011)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and baptism is an act of faith. The water is not special. It could be warm, cold, or even dirty. What saves us is our trust in what Jesus did on the cross and our choice to do what Jesus said before he ascended into heaven.
Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV2011)
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
If you have not been baptized, why not be obedient to God by following the example of His only Son? And there’s no better day to do this than Easter Sunday! If you have questions about baptism or the logistics of how this will happen, you can reach out to me at greg@wcchurch.life or reach out to David Bondurant, Discipleship Minister, at david@wcchurch.life. If you’re ready to take the next step, sign up for Baptism Sunday and a baptism class here.
Keep this in mind, if you get baptized on Easter, you will never forget the day that happened. May God bless you as you choose to be obedient to his Son.